Maybe they needed a scapegoat. Rip is signed up for a gazillion years more, Tay is Rips BFF and Pistons royalty, Stuckey is untouchable, Daye is young and Weezer overslept. That leaves T-Mac who was in the center of the laughing guys and who's on the end of a min contract.

A way to make a stand without making a stand.

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Yeah T-mac is the outsider...maybe he stirred the Rips pot and got him going.

Yahoo's fantasy notes says Tmac was expected to be "back to work" yesterday so if you don't see him playing today, then he has replaced Rip in the Q-dog house

But Hamilton was involved as well... and he's playing just days after that article was written about his verbal abuse towards Coach Q.

This is a move from above, in my opinion. Joe was clearly tired of the bad PR and he basically forced Kuester to put Hamilton back in the rotation. You can't even convince me that Hamilton suddenly "earned" a rotation spot in practice. Hell, practice is beneath Hamilton anyway.

This is a move from above, in my opinion. Joe was clearly tired of the bad PR and he basically forced Kuester to put Hamilton back in the rotation. You can't even convince me that Hamilton suddenly "earned" a rotation spot in practice. Hell, practice is beneath Hamilton anyway.

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From way above. As we were starting to realize, the franchise value is being eroded as a result of this Kuesterfrock.

Fake make up, put the highest paid player (who is signed for multiple years) back in the rotation and make sure you smile when the cameras come on.... unless you want to be fired immediately.

Some guy at Citi probably noticed this issue on his spreadsheet and gave the directive.

I don't get McGradys part in this. What's his incentives? Everything was going his way, he was getting a starter spot and minutes to go along. He hasn't got a long contract keeping him and the downsides with a strike like this months before becoming a FA seems far larger than the upsides. He didn't even get a fine for missing the shoot around. I doubt he had any larger part in this debacle. It doesn't add up for me.

I don't get McGradys part in this. What's his incentives? Everything was going his way, he was getting a starter spot and minutes to go along. He hasn't got a long contract keeping him and the downsides with a strike like this months before becoming a FA seems far larger than the upsides. He didn't even get a fine for missing the shoot around. I doubt he had any larger part in this debacle. It doesn't add up for me.

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The only part TMAC had in this - he had the flu, still has the flu. I hope he gets well soon.

The game: Kuester still playing politics, playing small ball to try to give both Gordon and Rip minutes, while still always ensuring Bynum gets minutes. Nothing to do with wanting to win a game. This loss was truly pathetic - and it was not because we are the worse team - with our coach - thats like having everyone play with a 400 pound anchor. Huge handicap having Kuester as a coach. Now if only the league would spot us 30 points to start games. No use, Kuester would just use that as an excuse to play even poorer rotations. We'd still lose.

The game: Kuester still playing politics, playing small ball to try to give both Gordon and Rip minutes, while still always ensuring Bynum gets minutes. Nothing to do with wanting to win a game. This loss was truly pathetic - and it was not because we are the worse team - with our coach - thats like having everyone play with a 400 pound anchor. Huge handicap having Kuester as a coach. Now if only the league would spot us 30 points to start games. No use, Kuester would just use that as an excuse to play even poorer rotations. We'd still lose.

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I totally agree that Kuester is a terrible coach in many ways. Who would like to see coaching this team?

The game: Kuester still playing politics, playing small ball to try to give both Gordon and Rip minutes, while still always ensuring Bynum gets minutes. Nothing to do with wanting to win a game. This loss was truly pathetic - and it was not because we are the worse team - with our coach - thats like having everyone play with a 400 pound anchor. Huge handicap having Kuester as a coach. Now if only the league would spot us 30 points to start games. No use, Kuester would just use that as an excuse to play even poorer rotations. We'd still lose.

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OK thats what happen last night ...tells us what he did wrong tonight!!

OK thats what happen last night ...tells us what he did wrong tonight!!

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A new day does not make a new Kuester.

As usual, Kuester has no plan to win - just to play politics. Like, when he announced anyone could earn a starting - or substitution gig - according to how they play in practice. First, anyone knows that there is virtually no practices this time of the year with the games coming so fast. Does he mean the shoot around? You got to be kidding if you believe you are going to tell much from a quick shoot around. How about common sense instead. Note, the same five guys started again - no change. And despite it being obvious that Minny had a strong mismatch against Gordon - way too late, I mean like way, way too late, before he finally did anything about it. Rip should have started this one - or have come in for Gordon almost at once.

And small ball - not too much in the 2nd half, though there was some for sure with Daye at power forward, total nonsense - in the first half he played a 3 guard unit way too much.

If anyone has time - go look at Daye's plus minus when playing as small forward in this game, and then when he played power forward.

Anyone notice we were losing a point a minute to Minny when Bynum was in - and still the guy stayed out there for pretty much his full shift in the 2nd half. Just no adjustments by Kuester save just the slightest. Not by any means enough to make one think he could care the slightest about winning the game.

By the way, again, same, same. Last night, Summers was out of the rotation, tonight, just 5 minutes. Hardly a bit of difference between the two games.

And since I did not write up the last game - didn't anyone else notice as soon as JMAX made a couple of nice plays in the 2nd half Kuester yanked him out of the game? This guys insistence on not playing good defensive players is shocking considering this is Detroit, where tough D was invented. (Ok, yeah, there were places in the past that could make this claim, like maybe Philly, but the Bad Boys took D to an absolute art form and then the latest Champion edition took it further.)

As usual, Kuester has no plan to win - just to play politics. Like, when he announced anyone could earn a starting - or substitution gig - according to how they play in practice. First, anyone knows that there is virtually no practices this time of the year with the games coming so fast. Does he mean the shoot around? You got to be kidding if you believe you are going to tell much from a quick shoot around. How about common sense instead. Note, the same five guys started again - no change. And despite it being obvious that Minny had a strong mismatch against Gordon - way too late, I mean like way, way too late, before he finally did anything about it. Rip should have started this one - or have come in for Gordon almost at once.

And small ball - not too much in the 2nd half, though there was some for sure with Daye at power forward, total nonsense - in the first half he played a 3 guard unit way too much.

If anyone has time - go look at Daye's plus minus when playing as small forward in this game, and then when he played power forward.

Anyone notice we were losing a point a minute to Minny when Bynum was in - and still the guy stayed out there for pretty much his full shift in the 2nd half. Just no adjustments by Kuester save just the slightest. Not by any means enough to make one think he could care the slightest about winning the game.

By the way, again, same, same. Last night, Summers was out of the rotation, tonight, just 5 minutes. Hardly a bit of difference between the two games.

And since I did not write up the last game - didn't anyone else notice as soon as JMAX made a couple of nice plays in the 2nd half Kuester yanked him out of the game? This guys insistence on not playing good defensive players is shocking considering this is Detroit, where tough D was invented. (Ok, yeah, there were places in the past that could make this claim, like maybe Philly, but the Bad Boys took D to an absolute art form and then the latest Champion edition took it further.)

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What I meant was you were posting on last nights game vs Milwaukee instead of the Minny thread..

My reference is that the shower (hotter the better) is a sort of cleansing method...where thoughts give way as muscles tune down, as the mind tunes up. Given time, this eventually exhibits a neutral equilibrirum...until the next challenge. This awareness should be mindful that the shower exit from this occurrence has a reciprocal understanding that all must be left behind. Beware of residuals.

It sounds like Kuester believes TMac was involved in the walkout. TMac is getting punished for his involvement.

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Which is kinda strange in some sort of way because in this season Q, Dumars and the Piston organisation were saying T-mac was a rolemodel, great teammate, great to work with and other buttkissing remarks.

This organisation turned into a political mess full of spindoctors. You don't know what to believe anymore.

Also, have you ever heard any other team state that "all starting positions and spots in the rotation are up for grabs" at midway/end of the season. What a load of bs. I am getting fed up with this, New owner should clean house. It's not only the attitude of the players that stink, it goes all the way to the top.